Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Sebastian's story
06 January 2016
“Last year Sebastian was struggling with his reading, but once he started the [student2student] program and was into it, he began to jump up reading levels quite quickly,” says Teresa, Sebastian’s mum.
As part of The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program, ten-year-old Sebastian and his siblings receive financial assistance for educational essentials and access to learning programs.
Last year Sebastian was struggling with his reading, but once he started the program and was into it, he began to jump up reading levels quite quickly.
Sebastian’s reading ability was falling behind his peers until he started participating in the student2student reading program. As his ability to read grew, so too did his love of books. Now when Teresa listens to her son reading aloud, she’s amazed by how much he has improved and how much his confidence has grown.
Student readers like Sebastian, who are two years or more behind in their reading, are paired with a trained student buddy who listens to them read over the phone, two to three times each week for 18 weeks. The regular reading practice in a supportive learning environment gives young readers the confidence to improve their skills.
Teresa said Sebastian and his buddy get along well, something that has motivated him to keep reading and the benefits of the program have been far-reaching.
This year, the student2student program saw 97% of participants improve their reading and 84% of students reported that they enjoy reading more now.
Sebastian trusts [his buddy] and he enjoys reading to him…it helps with conversation and creative writing at school, and he uses his expressions a lot better.
Hear from more of the children and families we support.
More stories
